Torako Yui: the miracle in Japanese homeopathy

by Akemi Tsuzuki

As little
as fifteen years ago, Homoeopathy was relatively unknown in Japan and the "Far
East". In the past ten years, this situation has changed dramatically in Japan. In 2010, there
are more than 500 professional homoeopaths working from an estimated 250
clinics throughout the country. It is believed that more than 100,000 Japanese
currently use homoeopathic medicines.

This surge in growth was referred to as "The Miracle in Japanese
Homoeopathy" at the Inaugural Meeting of the International Council for
Homoeopathy (ICH), an organisation founded to facilitate the training of
homoeopaths and to spread awareness of the self-medicating possibilities for
those suffering from both physical and mental afflictions. This miracle would
not have been possible without Torako Yui's input and energy. After completing
her post-graduate studies, in 1994, she became the first registered homoeopath
with the Homoeopathic Medical Association (HMA). Since then she has devoted her
life to introducing homoeopathy across the world.

Encountering
Homoeopathy: Torako Yui in her own words

"When I was thirty-three years old, I suffered from ulcerative
colitis and for the next three years I had melena, as the blood from the
intestinal wall mixed with my stools. When the condition was at it worst, I
would often feel the urge to defecate – sometimes up to fifteen times a day,
which meant that leaving the house or the office was fraught with difficulty.
Of course, as this was due to ulcers, I had terrible colic too.

For the first two years, I was given a variety of treatments, including
steroids, but these were only temporary palliatives; as soon as I felt stress
or under pressure, the ulcers spread and started to bleed. My lifestyle was in
fact the reason why the ulcerative colitis was so intractable; I would often
ignore the tiredness of my body and work straight through the night.

It was in the second year of treatment for this illness that I
encountered homoeopathy. I had begun to get very depressed and negative about
my life. It felt so unfair, as though I had been specially singled out to
suffer such distressing symptoms. With hindsight, it is obvious that I could
not heal myself in such a poor mental condition. My condition deteriorated and I
was prescribed tranquilizers, diuretics, iron pills, and antibiotics without
any success. I was finally told that I would have to have an operation to cut
out the affected part of the bowel and have a colostomy.

That very night, I had a dream about a treatment. I am now sure that my
dream told me to seek homoeopathic treatment. When I awoke, however, all I
could recall of the dream was the phrase: "treat like with like, a
treatment requires a similar." I rang a British colleague and recited this
phrase. She told me that I must be thinking of homoeopathy and it all came back
to me – it was indeed homoeopathic treatments I had dreamt of. Now, I am not
normally the sort of person who believed that dreams contained omens but you
will remember that I was desperately distressed at the time.

My first visit to a homoeopath was very strange, some questions often
seemed irrelevant while others could have come from the mouth of a
psychologist; they were so able to make me feel naked and exposed. I was asked
about my habits, my character, and the way I thought things through. I was also
asked about how I was affected by the sun, the moon, and various types of
weather. I was questioned about my eating preferences, my fears, if I had
regular dreams, and about my ability to deal with my emotions. Some questions
were truly bewildering; I was asked my birth weight, if I had been breast-fed,
and a series of questions about my family's medical history. I felt I knew very
little about myself and even less about my family; such things were not
discussed by my parents.

Throughout this session, I was waiting for the homoeopath to ask me
about my condition and I tried to bring up my condition, as I wanted to talk
about it, but the homoeopath did not seem to regard it as important. In the one
hour long consultation, we spoke about my ailment for as little as five
minutes. As the consultation finished, he handed me four sugar pilules, each
with a different name. I began to feel cheated; the homoeopath had no
stethoscope, no white coat, no interest in my condition, but just four tiny
sugar pills. I wondered why I had put any faith in my dream.

When I arrived home, I decided that I would take the pilules anyway. To
throw them away would have been a waste of money and taking one such small pill
once a day would be unlikely to do me harm. On the fifth day, I felt so weak
that I could not get out of bed; I was feverish and my joints ached. Having
dragged myself to the toilet, I returned to bed doubled up in agony, the pain
was terrible. I phoned the homoeopath and begged for help: "Please help, I
cannot stand up and all my joints feel inflamed." His reply was curt:
"That's good news. Go back to bed and try to relax and sleep." Then
he hung up on me. I could not believe it; how could this be good? The man was
obviously a charlatan, a quack, and a snake-oil salesman. How could I have been
so stupid to have been taken in? Yet, as the pain increased, I noticed that I
did not have diarrhea. The pain reminded me of a severe case of influenza I had
had when I was twenty-six. I had kept on with my course of antibiotics but they
did not provide me with any relief. I was still feverish and doubled up in
pain. Three days after I taken the last pilule, the pain eased and I began to
feel lightheaded. The diarrhea had returned, however it was no longer a
pinkish tone but dark red. As I had been unable to eat the previous days, I
realised that I must be discharging the residues of blood from my bowel.

I noticed a week or so later that I was becoming quite angry. These
waves of anger became more frequent and I often had the urge to break things.
It felt as though I had been betrayed and let down by society; all the efforts
I had made in the workplace amounted to nothing. I would never be able to
achieve fame and fortune in this male-dominated society, where anyone outside
of the accepted norms is systematically ostracized. I was unhealthy because I
worked so hard to earn the praise of my boss but I ignored my body. I was
letting myself be evaluated by the judgments of others and I was making myself
ill. I realised that there was still a child inside me seeking approval from
the boss, just as I had previously sought praise from my emotionally distant
mother. Seeking praise had left me feeling worthless and desperate.

Trapped in such an emotionally sensitive state, I found myself veering
between rage and tears. As my anger left me, I felt sad; sad that life could be
so harsh. This might sound a little
childish but it struck me that I was still carrying the pain from childhood
traumas and it was this inner child who was weeping in frustration. Curiously,
I did not immediately notice the physical changes happening at this time; my
stools, though soft, were no longer bloody.

One day, looking through my tears and contemplating the sadness of my childhood,
I saw the first spring blooms in the garden: crocus, Victoria plum, and water lilies. Walking out
into the chilly air, it occurred to me that these beautiful blooms lived their
whole lives without being able to voice a complaint, or walk away from a
problem. I realised that despite my complaints about the lack of respect from
my work, the lack of money in my life, and so on, I still had more freedom than
these plants (and indeed most of the natural world). The inner child inside was
controlling me – as a child would, without fully-formed experiences. I realised
that if I perceived an issue as distressing, I could easily allow myself to
become distressed, so if I looked on a problem as being a challenge, I should
be able to rise to that challenge. I began to appreciate that the way I
controlled my mind would affect my overall health; I could not let the inner
child run my life and I could no longer find peace if I kept focusing on the
world of profit and materialism. I believe that my disease taught me these
lessons.

The ulcerative colitis was completely
cured within a month. As I explained this to the homoeopath, at my second
consultation, I noticed that he was smiling happily, as if he knew this would
happen. My whole character had changed. Whereas I used to be quite strict and a
bit of a perfectionist, I was now quite sloppy. I did what I wanted to do when
I wanted to do it. I became lazy about doing the housework and my house always
looked like it had just been burgled. All I wanted to do was to work in the
garden and the longer I spent there, the happier I became – just like a happy
child without a care in the world. As I eased back into a life of contentment,
I realised that I wished to pass on this knowledge and study homoeopathy.

The excitement at starting my homoeopathic studies was soon tempered by
the difficulty I had with many of the texts on the course. The books were often
over a hundred years old and filled with Greek, Latin, and Old English words;
it truly was all Greek to me as a Japanese and I noticed many of the British
people felt the same way. I asked for special support, as I was crying again
after classes, but it was not forthcoming. Perhaps they did not know how to
help me.

Despite the tears and the frustration at not being able to master these
texts, I could not abandon my desire to learn homoeopathy and to introduce this
brilliant practice to Japan.
I decided to make a clean break and try starting my studies at a different
college, where they indicated that they were more able to support foreign
students. Indeed, when I had an interview with the Principal Robert Davidson,
he said something that I found very odd: "Welcome, we have been expecting
you. We thought you might be an experienced medical practitioner but here you
are, a young woman... This does not matter. Homoeopathy is definitely needed in
the Far East, so you must take your studies seriously and bring homoeopathy to Japan!"
Robert and the college staff were all generous in their support, as was my
friend and private tutor, the homoeopath Meg Portal. When I completed the three
year course, I was lucky enough to enter a post-graduate course run by Dr.
William Nelson, who had worked on the Apollo space project. Dr. Nelson taught
anatomy, physiology, pathology, and homoeopathic energising treatments. It was
after I graduated from this course that I went on to the Homoeopathic Medical
Association and became a registered homoeopath.

Throughout my homeopathic career I have always reviewed my practice, as
I often feel that clients help me heal as much as I help them. Homoeopathy did
not just cure my disease, it also led me to a wonderfully fulfilling
profession. I am sincere in my appreciation of homoeopathy and I still believe
that, as Robert said, it was my vocation to bring homoeopathy to Japan!"

Hello I have been working on interelating homeopathic medicines and the meridian system that is classically described in oriental medicine. I have found that the aggravation times of various remedies corresponds to the organ systems that are most weakened,that the emotional qualities of the remedies follow a distinct pattern. the meridians are gateways of blocked energy in the body and limiting conciousness. I would like to share this work with you. the kalis have a prediliction for the liver and can be used t strenghten it.

fernano
Posts: 9

info.Reply #6 on : Fri March 28, 2014, 13:50:35

dear sir/madam,
i would like to practising homoeopathy in Japan.
pl. let me know hat should i do.
thanks.
awiating for you.
fernando (italy)

Posts: 9

helpReply #5 on : Mon March 28, 2011, 16:43:25

i am also suffering from ulcerative colitis from last 1.5 yr. i think i am predisolone dependent. Had tried ayurvedic treatment for 8 months with no success. Seeking homeopathic treatment .. I know since moving from india to uk after getting married i had very stessful lifestyle may be that might be the cause of UC. u are so inspiring. Any encouragement / words appreciated. Thanks

Posts: 9

Re:Reply #4 on : Fri November 05, 2010, 17:57:08

Tora-chan, You inspire so many people and will continue do so. You find your calling. Love, Noriko

Posts: 9

Re:Reply #3 on : Tue October 19, 2010, 00:21:42

great story,thanks for posting

Posts: 9

the miracle in Japanese homeopathyReply #2 on : Fri October 01, 2010, 18:19:26

....indeed very inspiring story of Torako Yui,carrying the true spirit of homoeopathy.

Posts: 9

Re:Reply #1 on : Fri October 01, 2010, 02:40:29

Self experience makes a person more inquisitive and follow on towards perfection.